Luxuriant coastal forest, limestone cliffs and canyons, caves and underground streams, and an absolutely spectacular coastline, are all packed into one national park. Established in 1987, Paparoa National Park is perhaps most famous for the Pancake Rocks and blowholes of Dolomite Point, near the little settlement of Punakaiki.
The Paparoa Range forms an impressive backdrop to the park; made of ancient granite which has been slowly shaped by ice into its present rugged outline.
Limestone underlies most of the park and it is responsible for the area's amazing landforms - high coastal cliffs, impressive river canyons, delicate cave formations and the bizarre ‘pancake-stack’ coastal formations that the area is so well known for.
Source: Department of Conservation - Crown Copyright
Department of Conservation info
